NDLEA seeks national support for alternative development programme to curb cannabis cultivation and boost rural livelihoods

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has called for strong national support for its alternative development programme aimed at ending illicit cannabis cultivation and improving rural livelihoods across the country.

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The call was made in a statement issued on Tuesday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, quoting the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd).

Marwa spoke at a press conference in Abuja, where he explained that the initiative, described as the first of its kind in Africa, was launched last week as a pilot project in three cannabis-growing communities of Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo in Ondo State.

According to him, the programme is designed to replace illicit drug cultivation with sustainable agricultural and economic opportunities, while strengthening national security and rural development.

He said the alternative development strategy goes beyond crop substitution, adding that it would strengthen rural economies, reduce pressure on law enforcement and the justice system, promote peace in crime-prone areas, support food production and improve Nigeria’s international standing in drug control efforts.

Marwa described the approach as a win-win solution for communities, government and national security, noting that the successful take-off of the pilot scheme demonstrated that alternative development works when communities are engaged and supported.

He called on all stakeholders, including federal, state and local governments, traditional rulers, development partners, the private sector, civil society organisations and the media, to support the programme.

The NDLEA chairman also urged communities affected by illicit drug cultivation to embrace the initiative and collaborate with the agency, stressing that it is a people-centred development intervention rather than only a drug control measure.

Marwa assured that the agency remained committed to expanding the programme nationwide in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

He added that host communities and traditional rulers in Ondo State had welcomed the programme, describing it as a lawful source of income for farmers, a tool for poverty reduction and a means of improving food security and community safety.

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Explaining the rationale behind the programme, Marwa cited data from the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which estimated that 14.4 per cent of Nigerians aged 15 to 64 had used at least one psychoactive substance, with cannabis accounting for the largest share of use and illicit cultivation.